Of course back then there wasn’t much around the hot spot; and parking certainly wasn’t an issue. But it is now, which is why, come Monday, two Dallas City Council committees (Public Safety and Transportation and Environment) will be treated to the briefing you see below: “Metered Parking at Klyde Warren Park,” and why council will vote on the issue Wednesday. And it’s much more interesting than it sounds.

In large part, that’s because it’ll be presented by First Assistant City Manager A. C. Gonzalez, who, during our discussion Friday night, acknowledged the fact that “we’re in a very awkward situation as a city at the moment” when it comes to moving people — and, yes, their cars — through downtown. (Cue this 2010 council briefing.)

Said Gonzalez, in a perfect world, yes, people would be able to “get from one side to the other by jumping on mass transit and knowing then can do so conveniently or consistently.” But DART’s second downtown line, the so-called D2, has been back-burnered indefinitely; the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority’s Olive-St. Paul Street Loop is still a year away from urban-circulating; and those streetcars will run from Union Station to Methodist Hospital, away from downtown. And while Gonzalez says there’s talk of “rubber-tire interim solutions that would emulate trolleys,” it’s still, ya know … awkward. “A challenge,” he says.

Which means people will still want to drive to the deck park … and park their cars. Which you can do in the garages and on the surface lots in and around the Arts District, for fees beginning at $5 for next week’s event. (Here’s the complete list of options.) Shortly after the grand opening, there will be, according to the Park folks, “curbside parking spaces along the eastbound and westbound frontage roads of Woodall Rodgers Freeway, as well as off-peak parking on the other side of the frontage roads.” And that’s where the Monday briefing and Wednesday agenda item come in.

X marks the spot -- the parking spot, that is, around the deck park. Click to enlarge.

Long story short: Council is being asked to consider installing multi-space parking meters, the pay stations that take cash and credit, to accommodate some 55 spaces around the perimeter of the park. Their rates will depend on the time of day, as in:

A person shall pay an hourly rate of $1.50 from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. on Monday through Friday, $2.00 from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday, $2.50 from 6:00 p.m. until 12 midnight on Monday through Friday, $2.00 from 7:00 a.m. until 12 midnight on Saturday and Sunday, and no charge from 12 midnight until 7:00 a.m. on Monday through Sunday, for the use of a parking space.

Which makes them the most expensive parking meters in Dallas. I mean, literally: Gonzalez says the city wants to start installing the pay stations in other parts of town — beginning, for now, along South Lamar — but it can’t do so till it figures out who will cover the costs. In the meantime, though, this is the best option for the deck park.

“We did a survey, and the range for surface parking in that area ranges from $3 to $15 and $5 to $15 for structured parking,” Gonzalez says. “Us having $5 for two hours is certainly not out of the ordinary. When you look at the map of how the park is situated relative to where people office or for these venues, the museums, etc., it’s kind of in the middle of all that, so we’re trying to price it in a way that discourages people wanting to keep their car there for non-park purposes. It’s on the low end but higher than what we have now.”

But, let’s say you’re visiting the new Perot Museum of Nature & Science, and want to walk from there to the deck park. At present it’s not the most appealing — or safe — trek. Fret not: Says the briefing a sidewalk improvement is forthcoming, with wider and brighter walkways. But before you get too excited, note they’re listed as “unfunded projected improvements.” Baby steps, though, baby steps. Just make sure they’re not into traffic. Read all about it: